Morro Bay's The Ugly Mug Ceramics turns the unknown into opportunity 

Saunter into The Ugly Mug Ceramics in downtown Morro Bay on most days and you're bound to find life/business partners Shell Vorhees and Aimee Brantley hard at work either in the back studio pumping out high-quality ceramics such as mugs, bowls, and serving platters, or in the showroom, engaging with patrons.

On the day I was in there, however, they were collaborating on a unique prize possession.

Vorhees and Brantley were recently asked to create the winning trophy for the Morro Bay Rotary Club's Chowder Contest, which is part of the inaugural Morro Bay Maritime Family Fun Day.

"We've donated to chamber events in the past, doing [gift] baskets," Vorhees said. "So they asked if we would be interested in making a trophy."

This free Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce-hosted event will be held in the triangle parking lot behind the Morro Bay Maritime Museum on Saturday, Oct. 8. In addition to the Chowder Contest, it includes the Rotary Club's annual Duckie Derby, sandcastle building, a treasure hunt, storytelling, live sea shanties, and a blueberry muffin contest (with its own winning trophy created by glass artist Paula Radke).

The party kicks off at 10 a.m. and winds down around 4 p.m.

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• Photo Courtesy Of Shell Vorhees & Aimee Brantley
• CERAMIC PASSION Shell Vorhees (left) and Aimee Brantley, proprietors of The Ugly Mug Ceramics in Morro Bay, are both making and filling their artistic cups for all to enjoy.

Voorhees and Brantley's mutual passion for pottery brought them to where they are today, with their own ceramics studio and art gallery at 875 Main St.

Four years ago, the pair moved to Morro Bay to help out with Brantley's aging parents. Before that, they would visit frequently, and during one of these visits another family member suggested they all take a pottery course at Cuesta College. They obliged (though the family member did not) and felt an immediate connection with the medium.

"Aimee has been an artist her whole life, so we thought, 'Yeah, let's do [the pottery course],'" Vorhees said. "And as soon as the first class started, we fell in love. We would take the class on Saturday and then go home and talk about it all week."

This led them to conceptualize a professional approach to their newfound passion. They found a large workspace at an industrial business park in Morro Bay where they could hone their craft. Once they moved in, they began prolifically throwing clay, creating so many works that they started planning to attend exhibits and shows.

But then the pandemic hit, causing them to reconsider their options.

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• Photo Courtesy Of Shell Vorhees & Aimee Brantley
• HANDS-ON Shell Vorhees molds clay on the potter's wheel at The Ugly Mug, a ceramics studio and art gallery.

"Our first [show] was going to be at the end of February [2020], and within a week they were all canceled," Vorhees said. "We'd been building our inventory and happened to drive by and see [the current location] for rent. It was perfect, between the location and the farmers' market on Saturdays."

The opportunity to open a gallery was too good to pass up, and they decided to throw caution to the wheel, which proved to be just what they needed.

"It really pushed us; we knew we had to do something. We were kind of forced into growth, thankfully," Brantley said.

When it comes to their art, Vorhees and Brantley are also self-described opposites. This approach actually strengthens their artistic personalities, both independently and collaboratively.

"The works we make are very different, which provides a lot of variety. I mean, we have nothing in common; we don't listen to the same kind of music. We don't read the same kinds of books. We don't even watch the same kinds of movies," Brantley said. "[Pottery] was the one thing that we really both connected to."

"Well, that and ghost hunting," Vorhees pointed out with a laugh.

Some standout techniques you'll find among their works include multi-textured glazing, 3D treatments, and my personal favorite, the "jawbreaker" glaze, which mimics the splattering of colors seen on the exterior of the unrelenting confection.

While the majority of works The Ugly Mug features are crafted by Vorhees and Brantley, the gallery space also boasts creations by artists of many different media. This well-rounded approach offers a little something for every patron, from found-object art to sea glass jewelry, and most everything in between.

Vorhees and Brantley are also participating in the upcoming Shop, Sip, and Stroll. This Chamber of Commerce event will be held downtown on Oct. 19 and Dec. 11 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ugly Mug will feature new works and also serve appetizers paired with local wine.

Vorhees and Brantley aren't currently offering pottery classes, but they said they're always happy to discuss the ins and outs of their passion. So stop in to say hello, fill a ceramic mug with artistic joy, and then take it home. Δ

New Times contributor Dane Edmondson is a self-proclaimed modern Renaissance man. Reach him through the editor at [email protected].